The members of the OPM band Slapshock officially signed a disbandment agreement on September 26, 2020.
The said agreement which was signed by all of the members indicates the termination of the band effective August 30, 2021, and that no group or musician shall carry the name of Slapshock in the future.
The reason behind this disbandment was divulged by the band’s bassist, Lee Nadela through Daily Tribune.
In an exclusive report, Daily Tribune shared the statements from Nadela who reached out to them on October 21.
According to Nadela, when the news broke on social media platforms, they chose to remain silent. However, he believes that their fans have the right to know the reason behind the band’s break up.
He said that despite the diversity among them, they tried to understand each other and cope with their conflicts. But the pandemic has opened their eyes to their group’s relationship.
“Almost all bands have personal differences among their members, but we have learned to live with whatever conflicts we’ve had. That’s why Slapshock lasted 23 years.
“Honestly, the friction among its members had been brewing for years. The pandemic brought a lot of challenges and taught us a lot of lessons. Friendships, loyalty, intentions, and our sense of brotherhood were tested.”
The bassist then tracked back to May 16, 2020, when their band released the single “Sana Pag Gising”, the first song recorded by Slapshock where Nadela and Jerry Basco did not play guitar and bass respectively.
“I understood because I thought, maybe, it was because of the pandemic.
“But Jerry and I appeared in the song’s music video. Yet, I did not suspect that Jamir Garcia, Lean Ansing, and Chi Evora were laying the ground for total control of the band.
He also said that everything was equally divided since they were established but everything changed recently when Jamir, Lean, and Chi aimed to take control of the band.
“But the three–Jamir, Lean, and Chi–wanted to change everything. Jerry and I found out that they had finished recording a six-song EP that was already in the mixing and mastering stage. They deliberately did not let Jerry and me record our guitar and bass parts. That was unfair, because, in the first place, they never informed us about the whole thing, not even bothering to ask if we were agreeable with the setup they wanted.”
But what triggered the disbandment was when the three secretly withdrew the band’s royalties from their Tunecore account without Nadela and Basco being informed of it.
“And then they committed the grave mistake of withdrawing band royalties from our account in Tunecore without our permission. Royalty money is a sensitive issue for artists. It is a basic right and every band member is entitled to receive it.
“Jamir, Lean, and Chi admitted to me and Jerry that they took and withdrew the royalties all for themselves. To add insult to injury, they reiterated that they were the only ones entitled to it.”
Nadela was hurt about the thought of them being called undeserving of the royalties earned by their band.
“The issue here is not about receiving equal shares of royalty. The point is that they were telling me and Jerry that we would no longer receive any royalties. They wanted to deprive us of that right. They were justifying that, since Jerry and I were not part of the songwriting and recording, then we were not entitled to receive any royalties.
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“But how can we be part of the songwriting if they did not inform us at all that they were doing new songs? So, it was crystal clear that Jamir, Lean, and Chi wanted full control of Slapshock, and if Jerry and I disagree with their ‘new rules,’ then we can leave the band.”
A day after they discovered the withdrawal, Basco and Nadela had a talk with Lean. There Nadela expressed his disappointment and affirmed that Slapshock will never be the same again.
Basco and Nadela then proposed their resignation, Lean agreed but concerned about their existing one-year contract with a sponsor.
“Jerry and I, in good faith, proposed we will all just sign a Disbandment Agreement now, and then put the validity date effective a year later. That allows the three of them to fulfill Slapshock’s obligation to our corporate sponsor.
“We even told them that they can get Jerry’s and my remaining shares of income from our corporate sponsor so that they can pay the session musicians that they might need when the sponsor holds an event for Slapshock to perform in.
They both agreed to keep the agreement confidential, but different stories popped up on the internet that is why Nadela chose to divulge the real reason behind it.
“But something disturbing happened after that. We started hearing stories from common friends and from fans and Armies — they heard that I quit Slapshock and that I influenced and brainwashed Jerry to join me and leave the band.
“Jerry and I cannot accept this version of the story because this is a total lie. Jamir, Lean, and Chi are trying to put the blame for the disbandment of Slapshock on me and Jerry — when, in fact, Jamir, Lean, and Chi instigated this whole thing. When they took the royalties for themselves, it was like they pressed the disbandment button. The Disbandment Agreement that we signed was a formal ending of our partnership as Slapshock.”
Slapshock was established in 1997 which went from heavy metal to metalcore style.
